Soto

The Soto school was established in 9th century China by the masters Tung-shan Liang-chieh and Ts'ao-shan Pen-chi, with the Japanese branch of the school being established in the year 1227 by Eihei Dogen. The Soto school if one of four branches of Zen Buddhism in Japan today, the other three being Rinzai, Obaku and Sanbo Kyodan. The primary emphasis of the Soto Zen approach is shikantaza, or "just sitting" meditation practice.

Founded by a small group of dedicated zen students in 2004, All Beings Zen Sangha continues to serve as a warm space for the Zen Dharma practice in Washington DC. The group is currently lead by Rev. Inryu Bobbi Ponce-Barger. All Beings is a member of the Branching Streams network, affiliated with the San Francisco […]

The Anchorage Zen Community and its practice space, Uto-an, are committed to providing authentic Soto Zen Buddhist practice and teachings to all who are interested. We welcome people of any faith or background who are interested in cultivating compassion, awareness, and wisdom in their daily lives. Our schedule includes daily zazen and chanting, regular instruction […]

Ancient Dragon Zen Gate is a community of practitioners committed to being a home for Soto Zen Buddhist meditation practice in Chicago. Our teacher is Taigen Dan Leighton, author, scholar, and Dharma teacher in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki. We hope to make this practice available to anyone interested, and welcome a diversity of participants. We welcome people […]

The Arcata Zen Group is a Soto Zen Buddhist sangha practicing on the North Coast of California. We welcome anyone who wants to learn about and practice the Buddha’s teachings. We offer a daily and weekly sangha sitting schedule in Arcata, as well as introductory classes in zen meditation and zen philosophy. The AZG also […]

Ashland Zen Center is a Soto Zen Buddhist temple in the lineage of Suzuki Roshi. Ashland Zen Center offers non-residential, temple-based training. Temple-based training provides the opportunity to practice with teachers, priests and a sangha while fully, meaningfully engaged in work and family life. One-day sittings, sesshins and extended retreats provide students additional opportunities to […]

Welcome to Ashland Zen Center, a Soto Zen Buddhist temple in the lineage of Suzuki Roshi. Our temple was founded in 1993 by teachers Jintei Harold Little and Etsudo Patty Krahl. Ashland Zen Center offers non-residential opportunities for traditional Buddhist training, and the chance to practice closely with a sangha six days a week. Meditation […]

The Atlanta Soto Zen Center, founded in 1977, is one of the larger non-residential Zen centers in the country, offering a full schedule of morning and evening zazen, zen meditation and protocol instructions for beginners, monthly sesshins and occasional week-long retreats. Please come join us in our beautiful location on Zonolite Place and look for […]

Established in 2000, Austin Zen Center was founded to carry on the warm-hearted teaching of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, as recorded in his well-known book Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind. Suzuki Roshi’s teaching follows the Soto Zen tradition brought from China to Japan in the thirteenth century by Zen master Eihei Dogen. The Soto school of Zen has […]